Israeli forces demolish Palestinian home in occupied West Bank

• Israeli forces demolished a two-story Palestinian home in Hebron on Tuesday.
• The home was inhabited by two families, including children and elderly residents.
• The demolition was reportedly based on a lack of Israeli-issued building permits.
• Israeli forces also issued stop-work orders for three homes in Al-Walaja.
• Demolition of Palestinian property has been used by Israel since the Six-Day War.

Israeli forces demolished a two-story Palestinian home in the eastern area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, leaving two families, including children and elderly residents, homeless. Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by heavy machinery, carried out the demolition.

According to Palestinian security sources, the demolition orders were issued on the grounds that the homes lacked Israeli-issued building permits. Separately, Israeli forces issued stop-work orders for three homes in Al-Walaja, northwest of Bethlehem, also citing a lack of permits.

Demolition of Palestinian property has been a method used by Israel in the occupied territories since 1967. These demolitions can be administrative, punitive/dissuasive, or part of military operations. Critics argue that administrative demolitions are used to Judaize occupied territory, particularly East Jerusalem, while punitive demolitions, targeting homes of those suspected of violent acts against Israelis, are criticized as a form of collective punishment and a war crime under international law, with no proven deterrent effect.

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions estimated that Israel had razed 55,048 Palestinian structures as of 2022. In the initial months of the Gaza war, over 2,000 additional Palestinian homes were demolished in the West Bank. Demolitions are typically carried out by the Israeli Army Combat Engineering Corps using armored bulldozers, excavators, or wheel loaders, and sometimes explosive devices.